Thanks to his superb Suppression Art and Iwagakure's Ninjutsu: Camouflage Concealment, Kei Yamanaka skillfully bypassed the White Zetsu patrolling the mountainous graveyard and reached the edge of a massive crater.
Looking down, he spotted the massive skeleton of an enormous creature at its heart, as though warning any intruders just how dangerous and terrifying this place truly was.
On the rocky walls surrounding the crater, numerous man-made openings resembled ancient ruins left behind by forgotten people. Covered in snow and decay, they clearly showed no sign of human presence.
Anyone who truly stumbled upon this place might even praise the intelligence and might of the ancients?
"Demonic Statue of the Outer Path…"
Kei locked his gaze on the opening connected to the beast's tailbone.
Even though he had narrowed his sensory range to the minimum, his instincts screamed a clear warning about the terrifying force lurking just beyond that spot.
That sensation—like being watched by the abyss or trapped in a deep-sea undercurrent—chills crawling down his spine and raising every hair on his body—could only belong to the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path.
Steeling himself, Kei suppressed his presence to the lowest possible level.
He buried a Flying Thunder God Kunai beneath the snow before keeping his Camouflage Concealment active, silently slipping into the crater without a sound.
——————
A few torches flickered with weak yellow light in the shadowy cavern.
Before a stone table carved from bluish rock, Madara Uchiha bent forward, completing the final brushstroke on the scroll under dim illumination.
He flung the scroll aside—meant to be resting in the Mizukage's office—toward a waiting White Zetsu.
Madara exhaled a weary breath, heavy with fatigue.
His aged, fragile body had long since stripped him of the vitality of his youth.
Even relying on the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path allowed nothing more than prolonging his pitiful existence.
For a man who once stood atop the ninja world, such a state felt like cruel mockery.
It forced him to keep thinking, to keep remembering...
The White Zetsu caught the scroll and twisted his lips into a grotesque smile.
Just as he was about to speak, the glow of those blood-red three-comma Sharingan eyes in the darkness made him clamp his jaw shut. Silently, he sank into the earth, delivering the scroll back to the Land of Water.
"Lord Madara," Black Zetsu—using the White Zetsu as a host, his body half black and half white—spoke with exaggerated flattery in his voice.
"Following your orders, Mist's leadership has already sent inquiries to Sand regarding Fuguki Suikazan's death. However, there are still those within our village who wish to strike Konoha first..."
Though filled with dissatisfaction toward Madara for delaying the war, centuries of practice had refined his acting beyond comparison.
Even someone as powerful as Madara failed to sense any abnormality.
Right now, however, Madara had no interest in listening to Black Zetsu's droning.
A faint, mocking smirk curled his aged lips.
Those crimson three-comma Sharingan eyes, gleaming with bloodlust, locked directly onto the cave entrance.
"Human curiosity is truly insatiable. It leads people to explore the unknown, and also leads them straight toward death."
The frail voice carried inner confidence and composure.
Even though Uchiha Madara now had white hair, his skin resembled parched, gnarled bark—creased with deep wrinkles and mottled by age.
The tubes from the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path snaking down his back made him seem frail and drained of strength.
Yet his overbearing aura remained chillingly imposing!
...
[Name: Madara Uchiha]
[Class: Ninja]
[Skill Listings:]
Yin-Yang Convergence {Damaged} (Red), Indra's Might (Red), Chosen Uchiha (Red), Sage Transformation (Red), Veteran's Will (Red), Battlefield Rose (Red), Warring States Rival (Purple), Ballad of Blood and Fire (Purple), Born Tyrant (Purple), Lone Soul (Blue), Versatile Talent (Blue), Turbulent Strategist (Blue), Outer Path Sustenance (Blue), Brother Obsession (Green), Fate Entanglement (Gray), Obsession (Gray), Oil Lamp Dying (Black)
...
"What the hell?! This is just absurd! Absolutely ridiculous!"
When Kei Yamanaka first saw those skill listings, he nearly passed out from shock, bordering on cardiac arrest.
Initially, he thought having two skill seals and two skill downgrades would guarantee that even if Madara was powerful, he'd be reduced to little more than a helpless shrimp.
He had even imagined that, given Madara's decrepit appearance in the original story—barely able to walk—
Perhaps he wouldn't even need the system to go several rounds against him.
But instead...
You really are the ultimate final boss!
Six red skills, three purple, four blue, one green, two grays, and one black.
Is this what makes him the strongest non-Otsutsuki clan boss?!
Yin-Yang Convergence—the initial form of Six Paths chakra. Just barely obtaining it allowed Madara to awaken the Rinnegan!
Although he hadn't fully grasped the essence of Yin and Yang Releases, unable to perform miracles like the Six Paths old bastard.
Plus, since Madara stole the Rinnegan, the skill listing had a "Damaged" attached.
Still, this was truly top-grade stuff!
Even knowing full well that copying this skill would likely be pointless for Kei due to his pathetic chakra reserves and lack of Six Paths bloodline,
Who wouldn't lose their mind with envy looking at this?
Then there was Indra's Might, Chosen Uchiha, Sage Transformation, Veteran's Will, Battlefield Rose.
Each red-tier enhancement filled Kei with a visceral thrill of statistical brilliance.
And even the remaining purple and blue skills...
They could easily obliterate 99% of the ninja world's powerhouses!
No wonder Onoki, that old man, was already drenched in cold sweat at just the mention of Madara's name.
If in prime condition,
Kei felt like standing there gawking was an insult to his very existence!
Thank goodness...thank goodness...
[Oil Lamp Dying]—the black-tier trait listed at the very bottom of Madara's panel—was mercifully effective.
It severely diminished Madara's combat prowess,
and once disconnected from the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, he'd begin counting down to his death.
Not to mention that after an intense battle, the loss of various attributes such as strength, stamina, willpower, and life force would accelerate even further.
Fortunately, he still had his game-breaking skill!
Boost me—!
No, no, no!
"System, copy Sage Transformation for me!"
In the end, Kei Yamanaka still chose his original target—Sage Transformation.
[Sage Transformation (Red): The ultimate Yang Nature chakra energy grants an extraordinary vitality and exceptional talent. Cell strength, cellular activity, regeneration speed, life force, chakra reserves, and Yang Chakra affinity receive massive increases, while natural energy affinity and elemental affinity to Earth, Water, Fire, Wind, and Lightning are significantly enhanced.]
In comparison, although Indra's Might was powerful, prolonged use would gradually influence the wielder's will over time.
If he were to obtain the Chosen Uchiha trait, he'd have to confront the Uchiha clan upon returning; otherwise, there'd be no explaining the origin of his *Sharingan*.
Will of the Veteran, a skill beloved by battle maniacs, also didn't suit him well.
Though Battlefield Rose was potent, enhancing combat techniques, ninjutsu, and mastery of ninja tools, it wasn't what he needed most right now.
Only Sage Transformation could do it.
Once acquired, it would instantly trigger a qualitative leap in his power!
[Skill listing successfully copied. Congratulations, Host! You have obtained the red-tier skill listing 'Sage Transformation'.]
As Kei Yamanaka heard the notification voice in his ear, the tension in his chest eased slightly.
Under Madara Uchiha's increasingly impatient gaze, he deactivated the Ninjutsu: Camouflage Concealment technique.
His silver-white locks stood out starkly in the dim tunnel, and beneath the iron forehead protector covering half his face was a sharp, solemn visage.
His cold, crimson eyes met Madara Uchiha's astonished gaze.
Kei Yamanaka intoned gravely.
"You rotten Uchiha elder… It's been a while."
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